Did you know that the original Thanksgiving was actually a three-day celebration? In 1621, Governor William Bradford organized the original feast, inviting the Plymouth colonists’ Native American allies. When the Wampanoag Indian guests came and joined the Pilgrims they decided to extend the party which ended up lasting 3 days. There’s no evidence they actually ate turkey, however some of the original foods included lobster, seal and swan.
Our modern holiday of Thanksgiving can be traced back to Sarah Josepha Hale the woman who wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. In 1863, she convinced President Abraham Lincoln to officially declare Thanksgiving a national holiday after writing countless articles and letters to persuade him.
The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade debuted in 1924 didn’t feature any balloons it featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. It wasn’t till 1929 that the balloons were introduced.
And last but not least we have Thanksgiving to thank for the original TV Dinner. In 1953, a Swanson employee accidentally ordered a colossal shipment of Thanksgiving turkeys (260 tons, to be exact). To get rid of them all, salesman Gerry Thomas came up with the idea of filling 5,000 aluminum trays with the turkey – along with cornbread dressing, gravy, peas, and sweet potatoes. They were sold for 98 cents, and were a hit. Within one year, over ten million were sold.
We wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
